


Of Dances and Delusions.

by Ella_Blackheart



Series: The Holy Blood. [2]
Category: Fable (Video Games), Fable 3 (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Incest, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-26
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2019-05-13 22:06:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14757156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ella_Blackheart/pseuds/Ella_Blackheart
Summary: Princess Lenna decides to throw herself a private party.





	Of Dances and Delusions.

* * *

The smells from the party still lingered in Lenna's perceptive nose. The extravagant cake, made with imported strawberries, of which she hadn't taken a single bite. The expensive champagne, brought all the way from the empire of Finisterre. The sweet aroma of her Samarkandian orchids. And the foul stench that emanated from the people around her, concealed underneath their soaps, make ups, and cheap perfumes. But also, the more subtle scents, that only she could notice, like the intoxicating smells of admiration, joy, and overall worship for the princess of Albion. Yet, none of them compared with that of the man just walking into the empty ballroom, where she had been patiently waiting for him.

 

"You're late, sweetheart, the party ended almost an hour ago." She said, and took a long swig from the bottle she was holding.

 

"Don't drink like that." Logan gave her a disapproving stare. "You look like a lush."

 

Lenna was sitting -well, more like lounging- on the ballroom's steps, surrounded by the remnants of her party, with a bottle in her hand. She had to admit hers was quite a picture of decadence, and excess.

 

"What are you? My dad?" She smirked, and took another long sip.

 

"I'm your... older brother!" Logan crossed the distance between them, and snatched the bottle off her hand.

 

"It's only juice!" She protested, but closed her eyes for a moment to breathe him in. What she liked the most about his smell, was just how similar it was to her own. Logan was the only person whose scent she did not find repulsive. "We can't drink any alcohol, it makes us fat. Father's curse, remember?"

 

One of the hidden costs behind their precious blood was an extreme sensitivity to any kind of food or beverage. Neither Lenna, nor Logan, were able to eat any food different than raw vegetables and fruit, or drink anything other than juice or water, without their bodies reacting in the most negative way.

 

"In all honesty, I think that's a blessing in disguise." Logan looked at the bottle, and took a swig himself. "You'd be a horrible drunk."

 

"Well, my dear, I don't believe you'd be any better." Lenna scoffed and looked up at him. "You missed my birthday party. It's not like I turn eighteen every other day!"

 

"Today is nowhere near your birthday, Lenna. And, if it was, it would be twenty one, not eighteen." The king of Albion crossed his arms, and rose an eyebrow at his sister. "Lying about your age to your own brother is as distasteful as it is pointless."

 

"Don't be such a stick in the mud, Logan! That's why nobody likes you." She pouted her lips and gave him her best puppy eyed look. "Won't you at least dance with me?"

 

"There is no music." He said flatly, but put away the bottle on the nearest table all the same.

 

"I knew you'd say that." Lenna grinned and scooted a bit to the left, revealing a device behind her.

 

"Our mother's phonograph." Logan tilted his head, and took a step closer to her. "Seriously?"

 

"Oh, yes." Lenna smiled and lowered the needle. An old foreign waltz started playing. "Shall we, your majesty?" She asked and reached out her hand.

 

"If you insist." Although he rolled eyes at her, Logan still took Lenna's hand and pulled her up. "But don't make that stupid dance you always do, and no humming!"

 

"Your stiffness hinders my spontaneity, dear. Those small quirks are what make me unique and special." Lenna placed her hand on his shoulder. "Unlike you, who are nothing but an ugly square, I'm one beautiful, special snowflake."

 

"No, Lenna, those small quirks are what make you an awful dancer." Logan wrapped an arm around her waist. "And just because you're flaky, that doesn't mean you're a 'special snowflake'."

 

Lenna pouted, but allowed him to take the lead anyways.

 

It was not something she'd ever admit to anyone, but it had been Logan who had inherited their mother's grace of movement. He was such a good dancer. And, not that she would ever let him know, but he was quite attractive in his own very unconventional way. Lenna was so afraid someone would steal Logan from her.

 

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked her.

 

" Because you haven't said anything about my new outfit." She answered.

 

"You have so many, I just can't keep track of them all." Logan spun her around. "I didn't know this one was new."

 

"Well, you should have." Lenna batted her long eyelashes, and moved closer to him. "After all it was a gift from you, along with the jewelry."

 

"A gift from me?" Logan raised a questioning eyebrow. "I don't remember..."

 

"Well, I couldn't have a birthday party without a good present, could I?" She explained. " And, considering you never do anything for me anyways, I just helped myself to the treasury. Said it was for your... personal expenses."

 

"How did you...?" He frowned at her.

 

"Logan, darling, I've been able to forge your signature since I was twelve." Lenna sighed. "And your handwriting as well. You sent me a lovely note, by the way."

 

"Lenna!" Instead of just being mildly annoyed -as she would have expected- Logan's face was full of anxiety. "Just how much did you take?"

 

"About a million, million and a half." Lenna bit her lower lip, and tilted her head down. At the same time she swayed her hips a bit more seductively.

 

"A million?!" He fixed his eyes on hers. "You spent one whole million on a party?"

 

"Of course not! What do you take me for?!" She scoffed, offended. "I spent one million and a half on the outfit. The whole party was a bit more expensive."

 

"Lenna..." Logan took a deep breath, as if trying to calm himself down. "I really need you to cut down on the expenses. Things will be getting... complicated in the next few years. Something bad is going to happen, and, unless you and I start making some sacrifices, the whole kingdom is going to suffer greatly. And it will be me taking all the blame."

 

"Something bad? You mean..." Lenna asked full of awe. She could smell the emotion in him, his worries, and tribulations.

 

"Yes! Something really bad." He closed his eyes and shook his head, as if trying to wipe away the thought.

 

"Oh, dear!" The princess gasped, and stopped their waltz. "I didn't know..."

 

"It's complicated, alright?" Logan lowered his gaze. Lenna noticed the unmistakeable smell of cold sweat forming on the back of his neck. "But if you can only trust me..."

 

"Of course, darling!" She placed a perfectly manicured hand on her chest, and tilted her head gently. The real dance was about to begin.

 

"Oh, Lenna, you don't know how much it means..." Logan's voice was full of relief. Lenna noticed the bitter-sweet smell of hope in his breath, and her whole body tingled with anticipation.

 

"My darling, Logan!" Lenna burst into laughter, unable to keep up her worried facade any longer. "I knew you were going crazy. I didn't know you were going cheap as well!"

 

"You don't believe me, do you?" He pushed her away, all the expectancy he had shown only a second ago crumbled down deliciously right before her eyes.

 

"Let's put it this way, brother." Lenna smirked, as Logan pushed her away from him. "You come back from a trip, where you got badly injured. Someone patched you up, but their work was so rudimentary, your wounds were so infected, and you had such a high fever, that you were hallucinating about the end of the world."

 

Logan's whole body tensed. He was about to speak, but Lenna placed two fingers over his mouth to silence him

 

"We all thought you were going to die, you know?" She kept on talking, trying to sound completely rational and objective, but savoring his desperation like it was the most exotic fruit. "You made a full physical recovery, almost like a miracle. However, you insist on saying that something terrible is going to happen." She sighed and shook her head. "But, you refuse to tell us exactly what it is, or how did you get those wounds, or where is it that you were in the first place. You just expect everyone to believe you only because you're the king."

 

"I am not lying!" Logan cried out. "I just... It's really complicated, alright?"

 

"Look, darling, I know whatever is happening in your head seems very real to you." Lenna moved closer to him, and patted him softly on the back. The smell of his anguish, and frustration became a lot stronger. "But you have to admit it sounds a bit crazy from where I'm standing."

 

Logan moved away from her touch. His level of hopelessness was almost at the top. Lenna just needed to push down a few more buttons, to get him where she wanted.

 

"I'm worried about you, Logan" Her tone changed from mildly sweet to almost condescending. "You know who missed you at the party? Nobody! As a matter of fact, they were all happy you were not here. People puts up with you because you're the king. But, let's face it, you're not exactly popular."

 

He didn't say anything. But his whole body was completely tense. Lenna knew Logan's biggest disadvantage was his completely lack of social skills. A flaw she had spent years exacerbating. Because the less confidence he had on himself, the more he would need her.

 

"I love you, dear." She whispered softly into his ear. He had been successfully broken, now it was time to put him back together the way she liked. "Even if you're really losing your mind, I will always love you, and I will always be there for you."

 

"Oh, Lenna" He said solemnly. "You don't know how much I wish, for your sake and that of this kingdom, that you were right, and I was really delusional."

 

"Let's not think about that right now, love. We'll talk about it some other day." Lenna kissed him softly on the cheek, and took him by the hand, gently leading him out of the ballroom."Let me take care of you tonight. I'll take away all your fears, and you will feel a lot better tomorrow."

 

In a way, she thought, it was good that Logan was finally losing his mind. His end of the world paranoia made him an easy prey. Because, at the end of the day, Lenna was completely sure there was nothing to be worried about.

 

* * *

 

Meanwhile, many miles away.

 

Another day in aurora, another morning counting the casualties from the night before. In the streets, a young woman cried desperate over the body of her dead husband. An elderly couple mourned the loss of their child and grandchildren. And on top of the great temple, Kalin, leader of the Auroran people, watched her city falling apart in the claws of the darkness.

 

"This thing is unstoppable." She whispered.

 


End file.
